Russia's 'Office Plankton' Wears a Tie on His Travels

Flyboard is a relatively young but fast-developing extreme sport. My goal was to complete an outstanding trick while still wearing my suit. I decided on a back flip, which I have mastered in many sports (snowboarding, wakeboarding, parachuting etc.). The Flyboard Russia team took about an hour to teach me how to do the trick. After practicing the jump for this length of time my body was like one big bruise and my jacket was almost completely torn.



Office, MacBook, plans, charts, coffee, budgets, documents, negotiations, deadlines... it's just another day in the life of ordinary office clerk Pavel Makarov. He wears a shirt with cufflinks, a slim tie, trousers, a jacket and sunglasses. He even knows how to make coffee in the coffee maker.



But outside the office, his life is rather different. Still donning his suit, Pavel plunges into the world of extreme sports, adrenaline, and adventure travel. With the aid of a camera he has begun documenting his activities via an unusual Instagram travel blog entitled "The Office Plankton" (@macpava), which currently has more than 25,000 subscribers. It's worlds away from life in the office.

Traveling around China is very difficult, but rewarding. The country has a lot of interesting sights, traditions, precious artifacts and a rich culture. China is more oriented towards internal tourism, so a European tourist is a rare visitor. You can get a visa for China very easily, but you may face problems communicating — apart from the younger generation Chinese people speak almost no English. There are also still echoes of the Iron Curtain, as Google and Facebook either do not work or are forbidden in China.



This photograph was captured on the roof of a skyscraper in Shanghai, which is of the top 10 most populated cities in the world. Until recently, there were shacks and rice fields here instead of stunning skyscrapers.

During the trip to China our team covered a distance of around 6000 kilometers, using 5 planes as well as high-speed trains, ferries, buses and taxis. China became one of my favorite countries and it is definitely one of the most exciting, epic, technologically advanced and innovative countries in the world!



This photo was taken on Huashan Mountain, where you can see amazing views. Its name comes from the word "hua" (flower) and "shan" (mountain) — when you look at the mountain from afar it resembles a lotus flower, which blooms with the first rays of the rising sun.

Everything started with the realization of my childhood dream ?€” a parachute jump. In Kirzhach (Vladimir region) I woke up early, experienced the rising roar of the aircraft's engine, saw other skydivers, got the cold sweats, was struck by fear, adrenaline and cold, followed by 50 seconds of free falling and then absolute freedom. Skydiving was my first step in developing "The office plankton." Now I hear the sky calling to me all the time. I've realized that I can't live without it anymore.

This photo was taken in the Sahara Desert during an unusual road trip from Moscow to The Gambia, West Africa. Over the course of three weeks, our team traveled through 15 countries and covered a distance of about 10,500 kilometers. We visited 20 cities, climbed the highest mountain in West Africa —Toubkal — and went snowboarding through the sands of the Sahara.



Today, West Africa is very accessible to travelers — flights are becoming cheaper and obtaining a visa is simpler.



Snowboarding on sand is called sandboarding. There's no difference in what you ride, be it snow, water or sand. The main thing is that you enjoy it.

Ruta 40 is not just a trail of thousands of kilometers with many adventures and obstacles — it's a lifestyle — like route 66 in America. Ruta 40 refers to the famous pan-American road which stretches from Alaska to the southernmost point of South America — Patagonia. Many travelers dream of completing it, but not all are successful. This is because the road is rough, with high mountain passes, serpentine turns and unfinished sections of road.



During my trip to Latin America, I covered several thousand kilometers of the route in a car. On the way there were many interesting UNESCO sites, such as the Salta Valley, Cactus Valley, Valley de la Laguna and Valle de la Luna among others.

This picture is not a still from the film "Interstellar" or the matrix of space-time continuum. It was taken inside the future ZILART area, which is currently being built. It's the biggest art quarter in Moscow and on the site of the former Likhachyov automobile plant ?€” also known as the ZIL center. During Soviet times, the plant produced appliances and cars for the Soviet Union.

Divnogorye is a temple complex featuring monasteries carved into the white rock (the dunes) and located on the banks of the River Don near Voronezh. Over many years the complex has attracted hoards of pilgrims and believers. From a geological point of view, it is similar to Turkey's Cappadocia or Georgia's Vardzia.



The name "Divnogorie" came from the chalk pillars, which are called divas ("???????? [divo]" — "miracle") by the locals. This spot rejuvenates your energy and helps you to find peace.

Neglinnaya River flows through the center of Moscow. The river is about 7.5 kilometers long along its pipeline. The river gave its name to many of Moscow's streets, squares and metro stations. It's not so easy to get there, especially if you're hoping to wakeboard.

There is a unique place in China's national park called Zhangjiajie. It has beautiful lakes, mountain streams, magnificent waterfalls and the Ulinyuan floating mountains. The mountains were formed by the weathering of sandstone and limestone, and later a large number of cliffs and peaks with interesting twists and contours were also formed. This feat of nature inspired the director David Cameron for the filming of "Avatar." Following the film, the mountain was renamed "Mount Avatar." Being there is like visiting another planet ?€” you feel as if you're on Pandora.

Renting an infantry fighting vehicle (BMP) is even easier than renting a car. The new sensations you feel from the powerful roar of the diesel engine, its strong pull, speed, and off off-road driving are all aspects of the ride that call to mind the world's difficult geopolitical situation.



Snowboarding while being pulled by a BMP is a peaceful use of military technology, exclusively for sport. It's a reason to come to the negotiating table without spilling human blood. A promise to hold hands together as nations. We only have one world, and it's the only one. Make peace, not war!



Skiing and snowboarding with the aid of a BMP is no more difficult than doing these activities in the mountains. However, I did have to jump over trees, slide through puddles and avoid branches as well as trying not to collide with other riders.

Renting an infantry fighting vehicle (BMP) is even easier than renting a car. The new sensations you feel from the powerful roar of the diesel engine, its strong pull, speed, and off off-road driving are all aspects of the ride that call to mind the world's difficult geopolitical situation.



Snowboarding while being pulled by a BMP is a peaceful use of military technology, exclusively for sport. It's a reason to come to the negotiating table without spilling human blood. A promise to hold hands together as nations. We only have one world, and it's the only one. Make peace, not war!



Skiing and snowboarding with the aid of a BMP is no more difficult than doing these activities in the mountains. However, I did have to jump over trees, slide through puddles and avoid branches as well as trying not to collide with other riders.

The Great Wall of China is a grand architectural monument and the only permanent structure in the world which is visible from space clearly.



The total length of the wall is more than 21,000 kilometers, which is even more than half the length of the Equator. An interesting fact is that the wall is not only in China but also in Mongolia, North Korea and even Russia! Now less than 10% of the wall is preserved in its original form as the rest has been seriously damaged.

In a peaceful, snowy open space in remote Russia, a young horse is running across a field at a speed of just ​​under 40 kilometers per hour. A snowboarder is being pulled behind him.



Skijoring is a new sport that involves racing on skis (or a snowboards) while attached by a harness to horses. It originated from people living in the Far North, where horses and dogs are the only means of transport. Skijoring first appeared at the 1928 Winter Olympics in Switzerland.